Rep. Sandy Levin

Former Member of Congress from Michigan. Now at the U of M Ford School of Public Policy. Family, writing and politics keep me busy. Fan of opera and hockey

[Rep. Sandy Levin @repsandylevin]

In this fraught moment for our democracy, we have lost someone who personified the idea - a guy who grew up with nothing and ended up fighting for a better life for *all* people. He was one of a kind.

[Rep. Sandy Levin @repsandylevin]

I’m deeply saddened by Charlie Rangel’s passing, but it’s somehow fitting that he died today. Charlie was a true American war hero. He always emphasized the need to remember his comrades who never made it home from the Korean War.

[Rep. Sandy Levin @repsandylevin]

Hey discovered this account was still out there. Carl showed me how to use it over dinner. Lets keep the tweet bar low. Hope you all have been well.

[Rep. Sandy Levin @repsandylevin]

Today, the House passed a resolution I authored remembering the victims & survivors of the 1932-33 Ukraine Famine, known as #Holodomor. Its passage is another reflection of the basic values of the American people. | My statement: https://t.co/oLTmsw01zB

[Rep. Sandy Levin @repsandylevin]

Aung San Suu Kyi's words & actions – in the face of what in reality has been genocide – have been deeply disturbing, contrary to her past example as a beacon of freedom. https://t.co/hGPhw8dDV3

[Rep. Sandy Levin @repsandylevin]

There can be no doubt about the culpability of Burma’s military in the oppression & violence inflicted on the #Rohingya.

[Rep. Sandy Levin @repsandylevin]

...the GM layoffs & plant closings underscore why #NAFTA remains unpopular in industrial areas. The new NAFTA - renamed the #USMCA to avoid any association with the old one - still falls short on providing protections for workers, jobs, & wages. | My op/ed https://t.co/XtF205PTIg

[Rep. Sandy Levin @repsandylevin]

Without changes, in law and practice, that address the suppressed low wages & dismantle the so-called protection agreements in Mexico, the new #NAFTA will continue conditions that have led to outsourced American jobs.

[Rep. Sandy Levin @repsandylevin]

When he authored an article commenting on the continuing friendship that I shared with Gov. Milliken, I very much treasured it. As we continued to stay in touch, he as always maintained his warm spirit despite the challenges he faced. So very many of us will very much miss him.

[Rep. Sandy Levin @repsandylevin]

It was with deep sadness that I learned that George Weeks passed away. I got to know him first as press secretary for Governor William Milliken. Like the Governor, George combined civility and total dedication to his work and ideas.

[Rep. Sandy Levin @repsandylevin]

The new #NAFTA fails to forcefully & directly address the lack of assured & real labor reform in Mexico, in language & in practice. Failing that, it will only lock in the status quo of massive outsourcing to Mexico for decades to come & its consequences. https://t.co/TAVWO5ub2F

[Rep. Sandy Levin @repsandylevin]

There has been this major shift of production to Mexico. So much new #NAFTA talk centers on rules of origin and composition percentages but misses the core problem of suppressed, low wages in Mexico that leads to the race to the bottom that contributes to American jobs lost.

[Rep. Sandy Levin @repsandylevin]

The recent GM announcement must serve as a major wake up call. Mexico’s persistent, suppressed low wages of a few dollars per hour caused a major outsourcing of vehicle & supplier production to Mexico, suppressing American wages & creating job loss. - https://t.co/iceSPxNyxO

[Rep. Sandy Levin @repsandylevin]

I was honored to be presented with the St. Volodymyr the Great Medal - in recognition for outstanding contribution to the development and prosperity of Ukraine - by Eugene Czolij, President of the Ukrainian World Congress, in Kiev yesterday.

[Rep. Sandy Levin @repsandylevin]

"#Holodomor is both a cry for freedom and a cry against authoritarianism." - from my remarks today before the plenary session of the Ukrainian Parliament, commemorating the 85th Anniversary of the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide.

[Rep. Sandy Levin @repsandylevin]

#Holodomor is a reminder of the value of democracy. The truth about the famine was suppressed by the totalitarian Soviet regime. One of the advantages of democracy is that there are more ways for the truth to be brought out, and fewer barriers to overcome. https://t.co/JUUKM6rMgj

[Rep. Sandy Levin @repsandylevin]

Speaking this afternoon about the importance of remembering the Holodomor, the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide. Awareness and remembrance will stand against denial and minimization.

[Bill Pascrell, Jr. 🇺🇸🇺🇦 @BillPascrell]

I testified today at the U.S. International Trade Commission w/@repsandylevin on NAFTA renegotiations. Any deal must get it right for American workers and American small businesses.

[Rep. Sandy Levin @repsandylevin]

Today, Rep. @BillPascrell & I testified before the U.S. ITC. I warned them that the failure to rectify the basic flaw in & the major source of controversy over #NAFTA 25 years ago will jeopardize #USMCA support from the new House Democratic majority | https://t.co/0ciQF7BYo1

[Rep. Sandy Levin @repsandylevin]

This has been calculated to save $1.4 billion annually by the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services. I have introduced H.R. 5150, the Protecting Medicare from Excessive Price Increases Act, which would establish such a program in Part B.

[Rep. Sandy Levin @repsandylevin]

Pres. Trump again failed to call for basic reforms that meaningfully cut prescription drug prices, e.g. allowing seniors to import lower cost medications from Canada or to allow Medicare to directly negotiate w/drug manufacturers, despite his repeated campaign promises to do so.

[Rep. Sandy Levin @repsandylevin]

A better way to address growth in Part B drug prices would be to follow a recommendations by the nonpartisan Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to require drug manufacturers to provide rebates to Medicare when the price of their drug increases faster than inflation.